Margaret Bernadette Cicinelli

Margaret Bernadette Cicinelli, 94, of Elk Rapids, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 6, 2026, at Cordia Assisted Living surrounded by her family. Born on a farm in Saginaw, Michigan, on November 14, 1931, she was the seventh of twelve children of Lukas “Louis” and Agnes (Masar) Sapak, who had immigrated from Slovakia. Margaret often delighted in sharing stories of her childhood, including picking sugar beets nearly as large as she was.

She graduated from St. Peter & Paul Catholic High School in 1949. On December 26, 1953, she married Angelo “George” Cicinelli, and together they raised five children in Saginaw. While George managed the family business, Margaret devoted herself to caring for their home and children. After his retirement, they moved to the shores of Torch Lake in the late 1990s. George passed away in 2020, after which Margaret spent her final three years at Cordia in Traverse City.

Summers at Mullett Lake were filled with cooking and gathering family and friends. After settling at Torch Lake, she tended her garden with great care, growing vegetables, herbs, and raspberries, earning the affectionate titles of green bean queen and pie lady. She embraced fresh cherries and began making cherry butter, while the holidays brought an abundance of Slovak and Italian pastries and boxes of homemade chocolates. She also enjoyed knitting, playing cards, and creating traditional Pysanky eggs.

Margaret is survived by her children, Deborah Cicinelli-Timm (Kent), Michael Cicinelli (Noelita), Jane Shore (John), Margaret A. Cicinelli, and James Cicinelli (Rita); her grandchildren, Tony, Joe, Pete (Lauren), Kenzie (Stefan), Karen (Jacob), and Joshua; five great-grandchildren, Cameron, Ryan, Theodora, Maeve, and Noah; brothers Robert Sapak (Cathy) and John Sapak; sister Dorothy Bowerman (Gene); and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband George, three brothers, five sisters, and a sister-in-law.